Clematis plant named ‘Evipo100’

ABSTRACT

A new  Clematis  plant with a compact growth habit, profuse, light blue flowers, and continuous summer flowering. The variety successfully propagates from softwood cuttings and is suitable for cultivation in commercial nursery culture. This new and distinct variety has shown to be uniform and stable in the resulting generations from asexual propagation from vegetative cuttings.

Botanical classification: Genus: Clematis. Species: viticella.

Variety denomination: ‘Evipo100’.

SUMMARY OF THE CLAIMED PLANT

The present invention constitutes a new and distinct variety of Clematis plant which originated from a controlled crossing between the female seed parent, an un-named seedling, and the male pollen parent, an un-named seedling. Both parent varieties are non-patented.

The two parents were crossed during the summer of 2000 and the resulting seeds were planted the following winter in a controlled environment in Guernsey, Channel Islands, United Kingdom. The new variety named ‘Evipo100’ originated as a single seedling from the stated cross.

The new clematis plant may be distinguished from its female seed parent and male pollen parent by the following characteristics. The female seed parent has X tepals while the new variety has light blue tepals. The male seed parent has X tepals while the new variety has light blue tepals.

The objective of the hybridization of this clematis plant was to create a new and distinct variety for nursery culture with unique qualities such as:

-   -   1. Uniform and abundant light blue flowers;     -   2. Vigorous and compact growth, making the variety suitable for         container culture; and     -   3. Improved disease resistance.

This combination of qualities was lacking in clematis plants that were in commercial cultivation and the qualities have been substantially achieved in the new variety.

‘Evipo100’ was selected by Mogens N. Olesen and Raymond J. Evison in their clematis development program in the Channel Islands, United Kingdom in 2001. Asexual reproduction of ‘Evipo100’ by means of vegetative cuttings and traditional layering was first performed by Mogens N. Olesen and Raymond J. Evison in the nursery during the summer of 2001. This initial and subsequent asexual propagations have demonstrated that the characteristics of ‘Evipo100’ are true to type and are transmitted from one generation to the next.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying color illustration shows as true as is reasonably possible to obtain in color photographs of this type the typical characteristics of the buds, flowers, leaves, and stems, of ‘Evipo100’. Specifically illustrated in the drawing are open flower viewed from above, a branch showing attachment of flower buds and open flower, tepals detached, reproductive flower parts, and a compound leaf. Plants shown are 2 years of age.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

The following is a detailed description of ‘Evipo100’, as observed in its growth throughout the flowering period in Marion County Oreg. Observed plants were cultivated for a period of 24 months in 2 liter containers. Certain phenotypical characteristics of the variety may vary under different environmental, cultural, agronomic, seasonal, and climatic conditions. Color references are made using The Royal Horticultural Society (London, England) Colour Chart, 2001, except where common terms of color are used.

For a comparison, several physical characteristics of the clematis variety ‘Evipo019’ described and illustrated in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,069 are compared to ‘Evipo100’ in Chart 1.

CHART 1 ‘Evipo100’ ‘Evipo019’ Flower diameter 90 mm 90 to 120 mm Tepal upper surface Violet Group 85A, with light Violet Group N88B upon opening intonation of Red-Purple Group 73B Tepal count 11 8

FLOWER AND FLOWER BUD

-   Blooming habit: Recurrent. The natural flowering period is generally     from May to September. -   Flower bud:     -   -   Size.—Normally 30 mm in length. Bud diameter is 14 mm.         -   Bud form.—Elliptic.         -   Bud color.—At ¼ opening Yellow-Green Group 147D.         -   Texture.—Highly pubescent. -   Pedicel:     -   -   Surface texture.—Smooth.         -   Length.—On average 25 mm in length with 3 mm diameter.         -   Color.—Yellow-Green Group 147D.         -   Strength.—Moderately strong. -   Receptacle:     -   -   Surface texture.—Lightly pubescent.         -   Shape.—Broad funnel.         -   Size.—2 mm (h)×2 mm (w).         -   Color.—Yellow-Green Group 147D. -   Flower arrangement:     -   -   Location on vine.—New and old growth.         -   Borne.—7 to 9 flowers per branch, borne along axillary and             terminal flower buds. -   Flower bloom:     -   -   Size.—On average, flowers are 90 mm in diameter and 20 mm in             depth.         -   Profile.—Open flowers are flat.         -   Fragrance.—None.         -   Lasting quality.—Flowers normally remain up to 10 days on             the plant. -   Tepals:     -   -   Tepal color.—Upon opening, and after opening, the upper             surface is Violet Group 85A, with light intonation of             Red-Purple Group 73B. The lower surface is Violet Group 85B,             with central bar of White Group 155A.         -   Quantity.—Normally 11 tepals.         -   Size.—42 mm in length by 27 mm wide.         -   Shape.—Individual tepal shape is ovate. The tepal apex is             acute. The tepal base is typically acute.         -   Apex recurvature.—None.         -   Tepal cross section.—Reflexed somewhat.         -   Margins.—Entire. Medium undulations of margin observed.         -   Persistence.—Tepals drop off cleanly. -   Reproductive organs:     -   -   Arrangement.—Open.         -   Pollen.—None observed.         -   Anthers.—Size: 5 mm in length. Color: Greyed-Yellow Group             160C. Quantity: On average, 35.         -   Filaments.—Color: White Group N155D. Length: 6 mm.         -   Pistils.—Quantity: On average, 20.         -   Stigmas.—Level in location relative to the length of the             filaments and the height of the anthers.         -   Styles.—Color: White Group 155A. Length: 11 mm.

PLANT

-   Plant form: Climbing and spreading. -   Plant growth: Moderately vigorous. -   Size: Seasons growth attains 100 cm in height. Average spread is 50     cm. -   Stems:     -   -   Color.—Juvenile stems are Yellow-Green Group 144A. Mature             stems are Yellow-Green Group and Greyed-Orange Group 166A.         -   Internodes.—On average, 35 mm between nodes.         -   Length.—Normally 25 to 30 cm from the base of the plant to             the flowering portion of the stem.         -   Diameter.—Normally 4 mm.         -   Texture.—Mature stems are generally ribbed. -   Plant foliage:     -   -   Leaf characteristics.—Deciduous.         -   Arrangement.—Trifoliate.         -   Leaf size.—Compound leaves are normally 100 mm (l)×90 mm             (w). Leaflets are normally 45 mm (l)×23 mm (w).         -   Abundance.—On average 2 leaves per 10 cm of stem.         -   Leaf color.—Juvenile upper Yellow-Green Group N144A.             Juvenile lower Yellow-Green Group N144A. Mature upper             Yellow-Green Group 146A. Mature lower Yellow-Green Group             146A.         -   Stipules.—Absent.         -   Petioles.—Size: Normally 50 mm in length by 2 mm diameter.             Texture: Smooth. Color: Greyed-Orange Group 173A.         -   Petioloule.—Size: Normally 20 mm in length by 2 mm diameter.             Texture: Smooth. Color: Greyed-Orange Group 173A.         -   Leaflet shape.—Generally elliptic. The base is rounded. The             apex is acute.         -   Margin.—Entire.         -   Surface.—The upper side is smooth. The lower side is smooth.         -   Thickness.—Average.         -   Glossiness.—Moderately glossy. -   Disease resistance: Subject to any disease that normally attacks the     species. However the variety is more tolerant to clematis wilt,     Ascochyta clematidina, than some clematis known to the inventors. -   Cold hardiness: The variety is tolerant to USDA Hardiness Zone 6. -   Heat tolerance: The variety has been found to be suitable for     climate conditions found in the American Horticulture Society heat     zone 7. 

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of clematis plant named ‘Evipo100’, substantially as described and illustrated, due to its abundant light blue flowers with good keepability, attractive long lasting foliage and compact growth, year round flowering under glasshouse conditions, suitability for production from softwood cuttings in pots, durable flowers and foliage which make the variety suitable for distribution in the floral industry. 